U.S. President Donald Trump is increasingly dissatisfied with the ongoing war with Iran, which has now lasted six months, and the lack of a unified stance among his closest advisers on how to resolve the conflict. According to NBC News, Trump had anticipated that Iran would return to the negotiating table much sooner. Instead, the fighting has continued, and his administration has yet to formulate a cohesive strategy for moving forward.
One of the president’s close associates told NBC News that Trump did not foresee such a prolonged conflict. “The president is frustrated. I don’t think he believed it would be this hard to get the Iranians to agree to a deal,” he said. “There was no real strategy on how long this would last or what needed to be done to achieve the end goal. He did not intend for this to be a long, exhausting war,” the associate added.
Disagreements on further steps
Another U.S. official, who wished to remain anonymous, stated that the administration’s biggest challenge is the lack of a unified position on further actions after months of fighting. The war began on February 28 with joint airstrikes by the U.S. and Israel, resulting in the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran responded with counterstrikes, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and a prolonged military standoff that has now reached a deadlock. “After all this time, we still haven’t reached an agreement,” the official said. “We have achieved a series of tactical victories, but we risk suffering a strategic defeat without clear political leadership and an understanding of where this conflict is going.”
NBC reported that last week Trump was so angry during a meeting with his national security team that he “exploded” and shouted profanities at the officials present. White House press secretary Carolyn Leavitt denied this account, stating: “This is not true. The president has a great team that he trusts, and everyone knows that he makes the final decisions.” In a subsequent comment to The Independent, she defended Trump’s tough policy on Iran, saying that the president “will not stand idly by while they violate [the memorandum of understanding], kill our soldiers, and shoot at our ships in the strait.” “Until this behavior changes, his approach will not change either. He is ready to continue putting pressure on Iran,” she said.
Main Pentagon spokesman Shawn Parnell also stated that the Department of Defense “is ready to immediately execute any order from the president.” He dismissed reports of disagreements within the Pentagon, emphasizing that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Kane “are fully aligned in their actions and united in their mission, strategy, and resolve regarding operations related to Iran.”
During the 2024 campaign, Trump repeatedly promised not to allow the United States to be drawn into another “endless war.” However, following the launch of Operation “Night Hammer” against Iran’s nuclear facilities last summer, which he described as a “short-term excursion,” the fighting has persisted for nearly six months. Despite Trump’s assertions that Tehran is “desperately” seeking negotiations, Iran continues military operations and refuses to finalize an agreement. Speaking on Fox News on Wednesday, Trump stated: “We are going to beat them… We will hit them hard. They will get beaten.” He also questioned Iran’s approach to diplomacy after the collapse of the memorandum of understanding signed in Versailles in June. “For some reason, we can be in the middle of a great discussion, and then they suddenly walk out and say, ‘we are not talking,'” the president said.
Two camps in Trump’s team
According to NBC, disagreements among Trump’s advisers are intensifying regarding the next phase of the conflict. One faction, led by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and backed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, advocates for increasing military pressure on Iran. Meanwhile, as the publication notes, during a meeting with Trump in Washington this week, Netanyahu did not push for this option. Another group, represented by Vice President J.D. Vance and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Kane, takes a more cautious stance. Kane has warned against continuing strikes that deplete U.S. weapons stockpiles without a clear long-term strategy, reflecting broader concerns about prolonging the conflict without a defined end goal.
